Gladly Would I Teach

I always enjoy giving students treats or small gifts at opportune times during the semester. Sometimes I just distribute candy when we need a little excitement or fun Sometimes I bring in a cake and congratulate my seniors at the beginning of the school year. As the year progresses, I love to give individual students books that I have inscribed for a specific occasion because I think it's fun to surprise kids with small gifts to commemorate their accomplishments.

I suspect most teachers would like to reward students like this, but who has the money?

I absolutely love TEACHERS pay TEACHERS because I am able to earn money that I can turn around and use for classroom items, curriculum materials, and gifts and treats for my students. If you are not using TpT, you are really missing a great opportunity.

Paul Edelman, a former New York City teacher, established TpT in 2006 as an open marketplace for teachers to sell their original assignments to other teachers. I first heard of TpT in July of 2006 and started uploading assignments that I had created through the years. In the beginning, I wasn't so interested in making money. Instead, since I was nearing retirement, I loved the idea that I could pass along my assignments to other teachers for a nominal fee, and I didn't have to do anything extra to send the files to individual teachers. In the first few months, I earned little money, but my earnings have grown steadily since then. Today, I have roughly 60 assignments on TpT that sell from $2 to $9, and I earn between $200-$400 each month, a nice stash of money that I can use to buy items for my students and for my classroom.

In addition to providing a great place for teachers to sell materials, TpT is also a wonderful and inexpensive place for teachers to purchase materials from other teachers. It can be a tremendous time saver, particularly for teachers who may be teaching a unit for the first time. For example, if you need a test, search for one on TpT and you may be surprised that you can find exactly what you want for under $5 and then download it immediately. What I would have given for such a service 30 years ago when my only option to obtain materials was to pay $25 or more for published materials when I may have only used one or two assignments from the book.

If you are looking for a place where you can buy and sell teaching materials, take a look at TEACHERS pay TEACHERS. Whether you use the site to help you acquire new teaching materials, sell items to make money for your students, or sell materials to make a little extra cash for yourself, I don't think you will be disappointed.

In the past few months, I have painted my classroom, purchased new rugs and bean bag chairs for students, and bought and distributed books for individual students, all paid for through my earnings from TpT.

Don't miss this opportunity!